Improvement in portable wooden tents



' UNITED STATES PATENT OEEICE.

R. K. I-IAWLEY AND W. WV. MAUGIILIN, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

IMPROVEMENT IN PORTABLE WOODEN TENTS.

Specication forming part of Letters Patent No. 33,781, dated November 26, 1861.

T0 all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, R. K. HAWLEY and WILLIAM W. MAUGHLIN, both of the cit-y of Baltimore and State of Maryland, have invented an improved mode of constructing portable wooden tents suitable for winter quarters for soldiers and for other analogous purposes; and we do hereby declare the following to be a correct description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a perspective View of our tent erected and complete. Fig. 2 is an interior View showing the mode in which the parts go together. Fig. 3 is an elevation of the gable end with door attached. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the outer side of the top piece of the gable. Fig. 5 is a similar View of the inner side of one of the side pieces of the gable. Fig. 6 represents the door-sill. Fig. 7 is a separate view of the ridge-pole. Fig. 8 represents a transverse section of the planking of the roof on a larger scale than the other figures.

The same part is marked by the same letter of reference wherever it occurs.

The nature of our invention consists in constructing a wooden tent in the peculiar manner hereinafter described, whereby an army may be provided with a cheap, water-tight, and comfortable-winter shelter, which can be taken down, packed in ordinary wagons,

transported, and again erected with the same facility as the canvas tent, no nails, screws, or other similar permanent fastenings being employed in putting it up, and which, furthermore, is capable of any desired extension by multiplying without altering the form or dimensions of the separate parts or the Inode of putting them together, all as hereinafter more fully set forth.

To enable others to make and use our improved tent, We will proceed to describe its construction and the mode of putting it up, referring to the drawings, which are intended to represent a tent for the use of privates.

The dimensions of this tent are eight feet long by seven wide and nine high, inside measurement.

A marks the sides, which are here twenty inches high, and have on either end a dovetailed batten a, which fits in between corresponding upright battens b and c on the gablepieces B. The gable ends areformed of ive separate pieces each, B, B, O, D, and E.r

B marks the sidepieces of the gable. (Shown separately in Fig. 5.) These pieces have attached to them the two upright battens b c and the door-post d. On their outer sides are attached the inclined battens c andthe bottom battens f.

.C marks the top piece of the gable. (Shown in separate View in Fig. 4.) This piece has two inclined battens t' t' and a cross-piece h at bottom, which forms the lintel of the door. There is a mortise j in the apex of piece O for the reception of the ridge-pole.

D marks the door, which is strengthened by the two battens o o and has a hole in it for ventilation. It is attached by hinges g to one of the side pieces B and fastened by a button or other suitable means.

The door-sill E receives in mortises the lower ends of the door-posts d d. The upper ends of these posts are received in mortises in the lintel h.

I marks the ridge-pole. (Shown separately in Fig. 7.) Its upper surface is grooved to form a gutter to carry off any water that may drive in under the ridge of the roof.

The roof is formed of six pieces, F G I-I J K L, Fig. 1. Each of these is formed of planks rabbeted and tongued and grooved together by the peculiar joint shown in Fig. 8, which is water tight. They are further strengthened by the battens Z and fm., of which the lower batten l rests upon the side piece A of the tent, while the upperone fm rests in the groove of the ridge-pole I or against the upper and outer edge of the roof-pieces' of the opposite side, as clearly shown in Fig. 3.

The tent thus constructed is set up in the following manner: The sillE being laid down in the desired position, the side pieces B B of the gable are attached to it by inserting the lower ends of the door-posts cl cl in the mortises in E. The top gable-piece C is then united to the gable by placing the lintel hon top of the door-posts d, which it receives into mortises. The side pieces A are next united to the gables by Ineans of their dovetailed battens a, which are inserted between the battens b and c of the gable-pieces B. The ridge-pole I is then inserted in the mortisesjl of pieces C, Where it is prevented from longitudinal motion by means of the pins shown in Fig. 7. The roof-pieces F G H are next put on, being supported in place by their battens 'm resting in the groove of the ridge-pole. The opposite roof-pieces J K L rest by their battens 'm on the top edge of the pieces-F G H, as clearly shown in Figs. l and 3. The tent is completed by hanging the doors D.

The largest piece of this ltent is eight feet long by two feetand eight inches Wide, which is the proper size for packing fin anordinary wagon. The entire Weight when fve-eighths pine lumber is used will not exceed four hundred pounds. Eight wagons Will vtransport the tents for a company of one hundred men. Ve have given dimensions merely as a matter of convenience, not intending to limit ourselves to any specified dimensions. It will be obvious, indeed7 to the 'intelligent Workman that this principle of construction admits of indefinite extension in either 'direc'- tion, forming an apartment of any desired length, and either divided by partitions or having the ridge-pole supported on posts so as to leave an unobstructed space from end to end. The roof-pieces may be used indifferently on any portion of the ridge-pole, and they lap one another by a rabbeted tongueand-groove joint, which renders the line of junction Water-tight. The gutter of the ridgepole conducts o to either'end any Water that may beat in under the ridge of the roof.

Having thus fully described our invention, what We claim, and desire to secure bv Letters Patent of the United States, is-

The construction of a Wooden tent substantially in the manner and for the purpose described, the same consisting in the combination of the gables, constructed and united as shown, with theside pieces and ridge-pole to receive a roof, in the manner specified and represented.

The above specification signed and Witnessed this 21st day of October, A. D. 1861.

R. K. HAVVLEY. l WV. W. MAUGHLIN. Witnesses:

W. H. HAYWARD, D. D. GILL. 

